10.25.2002

Linnor:

:D Got off late for lunch today at 1230. My boys had half-day classes (yay! then sem break!) and the whole avenue was packed with cars getting kids from preschool to highschool. After a quick lunch at home, I happened to surf channels on tv & caught Oprah. The episode featured young children with extraordinary talents. One that caught my attention was an average looking 6-year old boy named Noah who played classical piano like a virtuoso! He could not even read notes yet! Then there was a team of teenagers aged 14 & 16 who put up "Chocolate Farm" that sells fancy & yummy looking chololates online. They raked a million in a year. There was also this 12-year old Afro-American girl who, after not being permitted by her mom to read regular entertainment & fashion magazines, decided to start her own dummy book which later on became "Black Girl" Magazine. There was also a 12-year old girl who painted really well that even the White House (?) bought one of her paintings. Her paintings were worth 10k a piece.



Shame on adults who spend their lifetime trying to discover their passion when these kids just did their thing like it was no big deal.



Linnor:

:D Woke up feeling great! TGIF! Looking forward to the short work-week & long week-end ahead! Been guilty these past few days of not personally accomplishing tasks as much as I wanted to...Delegated most of my work to our very able & efficient staff, Christine & Marilyn. Otherwise, work would've piled up to my armpits! Now counting the days before I hit another milestone...Good that Thursday-Saturday are holidays (declared & legal). That'll give me enough time to reflect...



10.24.2002

Jerry:

got a lot done the past few days!...paid pag-ibig downpayment and paved the way for activating this account...paid psbank for the star credit and paved the way for future funds requirement...achieving financial integrity in this trying time is not an easy feat, but i believe that integrity may be the most important component to success!...learned something from ariel yesterday..."there is no such thing as a bad day, only bad moments we choose to remember the whole day. think of happy things, have a happy day!"



10.23.2002

Linnor:

:D Done with work but with a lot of ancillary activities on the side (attending to concerns of provincial offices & other coordination stuff). I've read somewhere that to be able to manage your time wisely, schedule only up to 70% of your total working time to allow for unexpected interruptions. This way you don't get burned out or feel guilty that you were not able to get everything done. Hmm... sounds logical. I think this applies to me who's so used to stretching myself too thin juggling different tasks & trying to do everything all at once...



Linnor:

:D Just received mail from the PO...Result of HSBC Mabuhay card application was unfavorable...Could it be blessing in disguise?



Linnor:

:D Presently at work...done with the newspapers (couldn't keep from reading, though it's a major time-waster)...Ready to do the replenishment requests now...



10.22.2002

Linnor:

:D Yesterday was Mama Sol's birthday. The whole family trooped to Sto. Nino for the dinner invitation. We were surprised to see a big celebration on a Monday evening! A lot of well-wishers from the DepEd were there, colleagues from their Catholic community as well as friends from the neighboorhood. We had a really good dinner mainly of crabs & prawns while the kids had generous portions of the famous Cebu lechon! If not for Matthew's test the following day, we would have stayed longer. :)

:D Ma called yesterday to tell me they were coming on the 30th (hmm, I wonder why ???). It's good to be able to see them again especially Pa since the quadruple heart bypass in June. :)

:D Just changed the look of our blog...so far so good...neat...am happy with it...will post later!



10.21.2002

Jerry:

just got back from my aspac campaign in korea (10/17-10/20)! i had to travel a long way, cebu-hong kong-seoul and back via cathay pacific. the good thing lang is i earned some mileage for the asia miles program...maybe we'll get a free trip out of this. stayed at lotte hotel in seoul. it was a very nice hotel, not so new, but very spacious. it was cold in seoul, maybe 10-12 C during the night. we ran a good campaign and everybody is excited to come to cebu. the only concern most people have is the recent spate of bombings in southeast asia...i surely hope things shape up soon. during my free time & my layover in hong kong, i was able to get some surprises for linnor, matts & kyle! swatch irony for linnor, lotty the racoon for kyle, & a mini monopoly for matts...which we ended up playing till midnight. he! he! wasn't able to make matts study for his exam! i was the first to go bankrupt! it's great to be home! home is where the heart is! :)



10.20.2002

Linnor:

:D Got to City Sports early for the mass & there were only a few people in the ballroom. While we waited, Matthew was fretting about the shoes I told him to wear. He didn't like the Adidas but reluctantly obliged just to obey my request. He would have wanted to wear his black Puma or black Fila instead of the white & blue Adidas. I tried to let him understand that he's fortunate to have more than 1 pair of shoes because there are kids who are not as lucky to have even a single pair of slippers or who could not even walk because of some handicap. I think he understood, however, it was his preference as influenced by peer pressure in school that's eating him. He still appeared "napipilitan". Just then the lady from the Sports Club approached us to request if its possible for both Matt & Kyle to do the "offering of the gifts". Kyle excitedly said "Yes! I like!" to Matthew's utter disbelief. hihihi It was God's way again of playing tricks on him. Probably to make him realize that everything would be fine----even if he wasn't wearing his "comfort" shoes.



10.19.2002

Linnor:

:D Jerry called yesterday morning & early today to say he's doing ok in Korea. We're both looking forward to his return trip tomorrow. (Uuuy!)...

:D Had dinner with my in-laws yesterday at Cafe George to celebrate Mymy's birthday. It was her treat too. Food was yummy & the kids & I got so full we weren't able to have dessert!

:D Gave Mymy a single pearl pendant. It would have been perfect if it were set in white gold instead of the 14k yellow gold. It was pretty though & surprisingly, it was more reasonably priced as opposed to my initial choice of a Guess blouse! Well sometimes one just have to be more creative in coming up with gift ideas. :D



10.18.2002

Linnor:

:D Was happily busy yesterday (hence the delayed post). Jerry flew to Korea yesterday noon with Marcel to invite the Korean Jaycees to participate in the 2003 Asia Pacific Conference to be hosted by Cebu. That leaves me to attend to his share of the daily business of picking up Kyle from school at noon and Matt in the pm. :D Well as fate would have it, yesterday too was the scheduled Slumber Party of the Preschool classes. After getting Matts, I had to drive back home to get Kyle again to attend the school activity at 5pm. For the most part of the afternoon, all I did was drive :) (no complaints!). The preschoolers were SOOO adorably cute in jammies! They wore headbands with glittering "antlers" and were full of energy as they sang & danced to the delight of the proud parents (me included)! The three of us had Jollibee dinner on the picnic mat together with the other parents & kids. The fun affair was done by 830pm. We were home by a little before 9 and I was in bed by 930 for my zzzzz's....



10.16.2002

Linnor:

:D Part of our daily routine after bringing Matt & Kyle to school is to go to church to hear mass (7-730) am, to recite the Holy Rosary & the Novena to St. Expeditus and to say our personal prayers (aloud & as a couple). We have been doing this for the past two years now & I believe it is this bond with the Lord that enabled us to weather all challenges (big & small). What do we pray for? We pray to praise His generosity, ask for mercy, lift up our daily battles, pray for more blessings for us & our loved ones & to intercede for others. Prayer is habit forming indeed & we are high on God.



:D Today was slightly different. Due to all the appointments lined up for the day, we veered from our usual routine. On our way to school, we decided to say our prayers (loud enough for Matt & Kyle), and to recite the Rosary & the Novena. It was God at work as Matt & Kyle, unlike many others, willingly recited with us.



:D Jerry is off to Korea tomorrow. Nope, not to catch up on the Games. As Conference Director, he will be inviting more Korean delegates to the Asia Pacific Conference in May 2003. This will be his third foreign trip this year (twice to Japan). Although it's work, foreign trips are opportunities not presented to everybody :).



:D Opened separate kiddie accounts for Matt & Kyle today. For a minimum deposit of P2000 each, they were given their own passbooks, cute "treasure chests", accident insurance policies for me, and best of all, their very own ATM cards with picture! (ahh...cute!). We're all very excited about it.



10.15.2002

Linnor:

:D Half-awake at 5:15am, I saw Jerry in bed with rosary in hand. He whispered to me as I tried to go back to sleep: "Mommy gave me the bonus na". Oh what joy! :D

:D Matt's periodical tests were rescheduled for Fri, Mon & Tue from the original Wed-Fri! Just enough time to juggle my office work & to assist him.



10.14.2002

October 14

Jerry:

monday blues! one bad habit i gotta get rid off...! went to visit chris & may and their new baby boy, christopher matthew, it's always amazing to see a newborn baby! what's even more amazing is that we all started that small...wonders of life!



Linnor:

Yay! I'm back in Blogspot! Tried Yahoo Pagebuilder & Bravenet (among others) but ended up coming back. Transferred the rest of our postings here...This site suits our blogging needs best...



October 13

Jerry:

it's a sunday! went to makro for the snack box groceries...we studied chinese with matts, getting him ready for his quarter exams. msgr dakay's sermon tells us to wear a "wedding garment" all the time. meaning, follow the commandments, follow the christian precepts, etc. all the time, so that people know that we are christians! while linnor pounded away in the computer the kids & i went out for a spin...put air in kyle's mini basketball, got the stuff from bread gallery, bought ngo hiong from cheavers...movie time again...hunt for red october! this weekend was great, it was a great recharge for the time i spent with the family! this is what i want to be able to do always!



October 12

Jerry:

spent another day with the family! quality time is always about quantity!...we opened snack box for the day coz u.c. had a p.e. culminating event. brought everyone to the mall, the kids went gaming at av and linnor and i went goal setting for a new car! no plans yet, it just feels nice to set goals. spent the afternoon with matthew and his clf project...peace poster! party time for renzo & lois at jollibee...movie time - speed 2 & ms. congeniality (fell asleep :) )- complete with popcorn! really fun to get away from work!



October 11

Jerry:

hello! off line for the past few days! but today is kyle's big bday! he's been looking forward to this day! surprised him at school with cookies & ice cream! bought him a new pair of converse shoes - his choice! japanese dinner at rairaiken and to top it all gaming at time zone! time really flies, if you don't spend time with your loved ones, they'll just pass you by!



October 10

Linnor:

:D Glad that Matt & I have finally finished doing together his Social Studies project on "Spanish Influences in the Philippines". More glad that I have my "life" back again after spending the whole day yesterday doing nothing but that. For a while there I felt I had made use of my time unwisely. I could still see the grand old churches & Vigan houses flashing in my brain. But having seen the way Matt's face light up after viewing his finished work & having heard him say: "Whoa! I'm sure I'll get perfect! Thank you Ma!" with a kiss & a hug, I thought, well, everything was well worth it!



October 7

Linnor:

:D Just when I thought I was done with the monthly reports, I found out there was another batch of adjustments that had to be posted. Momentarily, I was torn between leaving it at that, pretending & making up an excuse or telling Irene the truth & anticipating the (slight) reprimand that could be directed at me. I think an angel whispered to me & I soon found myself apologizing to Irene for my lapses & requesting for a 30-min extension prior to final close of the books. Surprisingly she relented without any hitches at all. That was a close call & am glad I didn't have to lie.



October 6

Linnor:

:D Received early birthday gifts from Mommy today! It was a very generous token she gave to Kyle & me.



:D Stayed home with the kids the whole afternoon for an early review of their 2nd quarter lessons. Kyle's exams are scheduled for this week & Matt's the week after. Since the "house assistants" were out on day-off, Matt & Kyle did the table for dinner & perfectly at that. Very cute. Had an engaging talk over dinner with the boys asking the silliest questions & making up equally funny "cartoony" scenarios- all figments of their wild imagination!



Jerry:

went off to do the groceries early in the morning!...makro...fooda savers! bought chinese lumpia & siomai for breakfast! :) heard mass at city sports, as usual, msgr. dakay's message always hits the mark, God always expects his share of the produce! spent the afternoon at the flp megasizzle at the cap center! it was a great show and a good learning experience. i believe our flp group will be big again...very soon!



October 5

Linnor:

:D Met with my good friend from La Salle & SGV, Ann, at Bo's around 3pm to go malling & catch up on chika. Though there was a huge sale happening for the weekend & not only once did I contemplate on buying the digicam, I did not give in to my shopping impulses like I used to. A big accomplishment in itself. HAH!



:D Enjoyed watching the championship games at the Ayala Entertainment Center with Ann, Jerry & the kids. Though we didn't win, it was great seeing the alumni of both schools rabidly rooting for their respective teams, yup, young & old alike...It was a sight to behold.



:D Matthew was awarded the VIP (Very Inspiring Person) award by his class teacher. I'm thankful to GOD that at his young age, he is already growing up to be the person we want him to be- a blessing to everyone he meets.



Jerry:

spent the day with the family, what a recharge! went swimming with matts & kyle in the tuscania pool...quite some time since we have done that! ...had a tv lunch with the kids...conair! went for a coffee break and a basketball championship at the ayala entertainment center.



October 4

Linnor:

:D Found a way to save on my long-distance calls to Manila! Since I have a non-NDD subscription, my monthly fixed bill is only about P600 (excluding LD calls). However, per minute calls are exorbitant at over P10/min! The good news is that PLDT offers prepaid cards for LD at P3/min! Bought 2 P100 cards today. Have to call Mama this weekend to catch up on their European tales!



:D It's Ayala's mall-wide sale weekend! One of my great finds today...a 3/4- sleeved Giordano striped shirt that used to sell for P900 but got it for P250. Another good buy was a pair of Mandy Moore low-slung boot-leg pants for P387. Dinner with Matthew & Kyle was equally yummy- authentic Japanese bento with tempura, gyoza, beef teriyaki, chicken, rice & miso soup for only P366. I just love Japanese food! And I just love bargain hunting!



Jerry:

he! he! even before i could start writing in this log my tight sked has already come up! but i'll try my best to keep up!...snack box had a great week!, flp managers' meeting & megasizzle dance practice, aspac meeting at zach's - 280 days to d-day, time zone with matts & kyle. the boys raced down the western route of "outrun" with kyle winning the first leg & matts on the second leg, even got to clean out my side of the cabinet! read "priorities" by dave balch... trying to sort things out!



October 3

Linnor:

:D Lelen called to thank me for the clothes Jerry & I donated for their community. I was glad to be of help. In our pursuit to unclutter our lives, this was a good way to start.



:D Matt didn't have a lot of assignments today. Just a test in Language about verb tenses (the other kind & not the "tense" that we know of. :D) That gives me a major break! Much needed at this time when reports at work are coming due.



:D Had good sales at Snack Box! Oh goody! Cash (IN) flow...By the way, the new Beetle is now on promo at 1.395M from 1.9M! Still requires loads of money but 500k is not a small slash. LOL



October 2

Linnor:Got the idea of putting up a "gratitude journal" from one of those Oprah episodes. Amidst all the challenges that we constantly face, we have to make a deliberate note of the many things that we should be grateful for - each day.



I thank GOD for the gift of life, love (being able to love & be loved in return), family, friends, the numerous big & small miracles that happen & the abundant blessings received.



October 1

Linnor:I can't seem to make my old weblog work. To make it even half as nice as those I see, I need to know more about web design & HTML. I guess I will have to go back to my old reliable Yahoo PageBuilder. I need something as easy as a "point & click, drag & drop" type of page builder. Goodbye for now to my blogspot & hats-off to Junnie & May who did a great job putting up MEMENTO & KNOCKKNOCK.